About

Harrison Bergeron

﻿Ryan Johnson
Nunley
24 April 2014
English 102
What the Future Could HoldMany advancements have happened in the United States. Most of them have had positive effects; some have had negative effects. Government intervention has strongly increased as our demographics grows in age and population. Depending on a citizen’s political views, this increased government intervention could be good for the United States, or it could be just the opposite. Few have been living with the same government their whole life, so they wouldn’t know what is legal or illegal. In Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, the future consists of a more strict United States government, strongly overpowering the citizens.

Hazel and George Bergeron are the parents of Harrison Bergeron. Harrison is a 14-year-old boy who is exactly seven feet tall. He intelligent and has abnormal strength and athleticism. Vonnegut has made Harrison a flat character, and states his traits very directly. Harrison is very stubborn. “’Harrison Bergeron, age fourteen,” she said in a grackle squawk, “has just escaped from jail, where he was held on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government. He is a genius and an athlete, is under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous”” (Vonnegut Jr. 202). He doesn’t want to obey the laws, so instead, he has tried to overthrow the government. This is the reason why he is being held by the government against his will. Hazel is perfectly average in this society. She doesn’t need a mask to mask her beauty, weights to decrease her strength, or a little radio in her ear to regulate her thoughts. She is a static character because her traits didn’t change throughout the story. Since she has no tools preventing her from doing certain things, she is overall pretty retarded. She just goes with the flow and obeys all of the laws even with her son being in jail. George is also a static character. He has both abnormal athleticism/strength and intelligence. Because of his unique traits, the government has blocked his unique traits out of his life. He is pretty oblivious to everything that is going on because of the radio in his head that regulates his thoughts. Diana Moon Glampers is the Handicapper General in this society. Her job is to regulate any unique traits her citizens may have. She remains a static character in this story. Like Harrison, Diana is also very stubborn. She doesn’t like anybody disobeying her. This is why she shoots and kills Harrison for breaking the law. Because of her stubbornness, Diana is a predictable character.

This story takes place in the year 2081, in the United States. “All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, and to the unceasing vigilance of agents of the United States Handicapper General” (Vonnegut Jr. 200). Most of the story takes place in the Bergeron household.

In the year 2081, there are about 200 new amendments that legislate that there shall be total equality throughout the United States. These amendments result in handicaps, which are tools that regulate unique traits certain people may hold. Hazel, on the other hand, is already “normal” in this society. Therefore, she doesn’t need any handicaps.

As the action rises, Hazel states the regulations she’d create and/or destroy if she was made the Handicapper General. “”If I was Diana Moon Glampers,” said Hazel, “I’d have chimes on Sunday—just chimes. Kind of honor of religion”” (Vonnegut Jr. 201). Her babbling was interrupted by her husband hearing a “twenty-one-gun salute” in his head.

The television in Hazel and George’s room are in shows an image of their son, Harrison. He has just escaped from jail, after being held there for plotting to overthrow the government. Harrison runs into the studio and declares that he is the emperor, in need of his Empress. He takes off all of his handicaps and reveals his true self. “He flung away his...

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